Gone Country: Do You Believe Me Now?
by kdzl
Summary: Gone Country Challenge Submission, July Prompt Set: Do You Believe Me Now? JJ/Will Angst, JJ/Hotch.


_"I'm kicking myself for being the one foolish enough, giving him the chance to step in my shoes. He was biding his time, when he saw our love was having a moment of weakness he was there between us..." _

_- **Jimmy Wayne **(Do You Believe Me Now)_

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Sitting on the park bench, he quickly saw the happy family playing in the park. He knew he was early, he was early every Thursday. But it was moments like this, watching his son interract with his ex and her new husband that he felt a pang of longing.

And for just a moment, he could allow his mind to wander. For just a moment, he could pretend that he had never let her go. He could pretend that he had never given up on them. He could pretend like they were happy again.

Visions of the future they could have had together floated before him, so real he could almost reach out and grab them.

But they would always be slightly out of reach--if only because he had been so careless.

At one point, they had been happy. At one point, everything was right and good. At one point, he felt as though he were on top of the world. That between the two of them, they could conquer everything.

But not anymore.

He had actually thought that if he gave her space, if they ended things for a while, that she would come back to him. That she would realize how much she needed him, and he could have everything he always wanted.

If only life had worked out that way.

Instead, their brief stint apart had taught her that she _didn't_ need him. That the love of her life had been waiting in the curtains for the perfect opportunity.

And he had been foolish enough to give him that chance--because all her new husband had needed was a split second to swoop in and sweep the love of his life off her feet.

And watching his son interact with his step-dad was enough to let him know that she had probably made the right decision.

But he would probably never get over her.

He would never get over the way her blonde hair glistened in the sunlight. He would never forget the way her lips tasted after a Chinese dinner. He would forever remember the feeling of contentment as they lay side by side with their son growing in her belly.

But she wasn't his anymore.

Now she had the white pickett fence, the golden retriever, the matching SUVs--the perfect family life--but it wasn't with him. He didn't get that anymore.

Because _he_ had broken it off with _her._ Now the situation was almost laughable. It was almost comdeic that after years of chasing her and not getting the level of commitment that he wanted, that _he--_William LaMontagne Jr--had broken up with the illustrious Jennifer Jareau. If it were possible, he would go back in time and smack himself in the head.

But now, as he watched Henry play with JJ and her new husband, he saw the look of adoration that she shot the raven-haired man, and he knew. He knew that he had never stood a chance. And the moment that he gave Aaron Hotchner a chance to step between them, it was the last hope he had to keep Jennifer Jareau as his.

It wasn't as if he blamed the other man. If he were honest with himself, he would admit that he had secretly been hoping for a small blip in the JJ/Hotch relationship so that he himself could swoop in and reclaim what he desperately wanted. But Aaron Hotchner was not an idiot. And now they were married, and Will's hopes of reconciling with JJ were long gone.

Suddenly, it seemed that they noticed him on the park bench, and the two adults abruptly ended their faux football game. JJ pointed out Will's presence to Henry, and it panged Will to see the minute moment of hesitation that his son displayed before quickly running up to him.

"Daddy!" Five year old Henry cried as Will stood to scoop up his son in his arms. "Mommy just signed me up for a football league. I'm going to be like Derek Devine!" Henry chattered excitedly as Aaron Hotchner and Jennifer Jareau _Hotchner_ approached him hand in hand.

"Hi Will." JJ said warmly.

"Hey, JJ. You look good." He said, noting with sadness the lack of protectiveness in Aaron Hotchner's eyes. Will would never be a threat to him anymore for JJ's affections, and it panged the younger man that he would never again be the man in JJ's life.

"Thanks. You too." She said evenly, smiling as she handed him Henry's bag. "We'll see you Monday."

"See you Monday." He agreed, the familiarity of the conversation leaving a sickening taste in his mouth. There was a time when they could stay up talking for hours. Now, they shared the same conversation every week.

"Bye Mom." Henry called, then immediately added, "Bye Dad."

Will's heart sank as the older man spun around. JJ and Hotch were obviously uncomfortable at the slip of Henry's tongue. Apparently unwilling to correct the young boy, Hotch smiled and waved. "Bye Henry. Have fun with your dad."

"I will Dad." Henry's reply only pushed the knife further into Will's chest.

As they walked to the car, Henry chattered endlessly about the many football moves he was going to learn and about the school hamster that he would get to take home from school the next day. But Will wasn't able to pay attention to what his son said, because the visions of the possibilities long since past floated before him.

If he had just begged her to stay. If he had never given him the chance to step between them, what would his life be like?

Shuffling that question away for when his son was no longer present, he turned his attention to the boy at his side.

Because he wasn't going to be foolish enough to let his son slip away from him as well. It wasn't Aaron Hotchner's fault that Will had been stupid enough to let JJ go, but he wasn't about to let his son go as well.

"Come on buddy, let's go get some ice cream."

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**_AN/I saw this awesome challenge by Arwen Lalaith and Confetti Leaves and I just wanted to try my hand. Let me know what you think._**


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